Conclusions

The higher education sector is at a crossroads

Competition between HE institutions will only get fiercer. Against the background of more prospective students questioning the inherent value of going to University, recruitment strategies must evolve to acknowledge a wider more appealing set of post 18 options .

And we need to accept that there is no advantage in chasing this cohort. If you have a specific offer that addresses the fundamental issues here think about how to use that tactically – it makes sense for it to be but it must be separate from your core recruitment proposition.

In this context, engaging the marginal ‘Undecideds’ could make a measurable difference in hitting your recruitment targets, while providing extra reassurance to those committed to University.